of relief ] thanks. [ male announcer ] you're welcome. ready? go. thank you for sticking with us. the senate is holding that unemployment vote and "the ed show" as you covered. good evening, americans. welcome to "the ed show" live from new york. let's get to work. >> the ultimate answer is not unemployment insurance. >> the longer you have it, it does provide some disincentive to work. >> they want to work. i think it is a little insulting to american workers. >> we keep the faith with them until they start that new job. >> people who have had jobs for 25 years lost them and they've been knocking on doors every week. >> these giveaway programs -- >> this is typical for republican members of congress. >> why do we have to have ice in

our vains? >> gee wiz, which is something we have never stopped. >> we shouldn't even be having this discussion, but because of the republicans we are. >> i don't want to have this permanent state of unemployment insurance where we end up like europe. >> bottom line, we can do better. >> i don't think they become bad people by being unemployed longer. >> we're a better country than that. >> good to have you with us tonight, folks. thanks for watching. rand paul, he actually said in an interview that there are some studies out there that say people who have unemployment benefits for a long time, it's a disincentive for them to go get a job. there are some studies. senator paul, what studies? what studies are out there that

show us there is some huge engineering taking place in our economy out there that a family of four is going to say, i'm going to quit looking for a job. he says there are some studies. it is like sometimes these news folks say, some people say. really? give me some names. here we are. the democrats are going to do exactly what they said they were going to do. the fight to help the unemployed in america is heating up as much of the country is in a deep freeze. don't worry. those folks who are losing their unemployment benefits will start a fire in their living room. they'll be okay. we have trains and planes and schedules being disrupted, but those folks will heat their homes no problem. the senate is expected to hold a procedural vote tonight for

extending unemployment benefits for americans. i understand that lindsey graham, his plane got diverted. he's not going to be able to make it back for some votes tonight. who knows where this is going to go as the travel schedules are what they are? the states got a little bit higher on extending unemployment benefits. we have a new number to show you tonight. consume this one. 4.9 million people could lose their unemployment insurance by the end of 2014. that's what the white house is estimating the number to be. of course, that's a white house number. we know how they lie, right? if congress doesn't act, this is what we're dealing with. it is a snowball effect on people. president obama is aware of the kwen consequences and he is urging

congress to act. he made a clear case to extend unemployment insurance. >> just a few days after christmas, more than 1 million of our fellow americans lost a vital economic lifeline. the temporary insurance that helps folks make ends meet while they look for a job. denying families that security is just plain cruel. we're a better country than that. we don't abandon our fellow americans when times get tough. we keep the faith with them until they start that new job. >> president obama is going to take it a step further. he's going to host a group of unemployed americans at the white house tomorrow. it is to make republicans realize what is going on in america. harry reid is also going on offense calling for an extension. he had no problem calling out congressional republicans on

sunday. >> we have a bipartisan bill. we have one of the liberal members of the senate and one of the conservative members of the senate. they say we should extend these unemployment benefits. there's 45 of them. five republicans in the senate should agree with the republicans around the country. republicans around america want us to do something to extend these benefits. why? because it is good for the economy. >> interesting how senator reid positioned that whole argument. he should have said the democrats are not a problem. it's those guys over there who are not figuring this whole thing out. there are republicans in that country that believe we should help the unemployed. it is not just employmeunemploy benefits. do they parallel one another? i believe that they do.

riee reid is talking about guys like that. rand paul has been a vocal opponent of extending unemployment insurance. he said an extension would make it harder for people to find work. now he's backtracking a little bit. >> i've always said that i'm not opposed to unemployment insurance. i'm opposed to having it without paying for it. i think it is wrong to borrow money from china or printing up money for it. i think the longer you have it, it does provide some disincentive to work. >> do you have proof of that senator? you simply do not. someone should inform the senator from kentucky there are requirements to be on unemployment. it's not like you just pick up the phone and say, i'm still here. send me a check. you must be actively seeking work and be able to prove it to

the government. everyone pays into unemployment insurance just like you would with your health insurance if you're on a government plan. rand paul makes it sound like some kind of free ride that you've never paid into it before. this is nothing but getting a free check on the couch. republicans like rand paul are under pressure from conservative special interest groups to block the unemployment. don't vote for it. some called on republicans to block an extension. it could mean real bad news for the republicans come the midterms. this is why the democrats can't let this go. there are numbers out there. a new poll shows 55% of americans support extending unemployment insurance. only 34% say we don't care about

them. john boehner is the key player in all of this. in his home district 63% thinks there should be an extension. is he representing the people's views? it's about time boehner started speaking to his own krae constituents. we have trains and planes and schedules disrupted. we have this thing called wind chill. 50 below this morning in detroit. i've never done the weather before. i kind of like this. here it is from north dakota all the way past chicago to detroit, we are below zero. we know these states don't have people who are losing their unemployment benefits.

this is where it is cruel. no one can control the weather. not everybody can control their employment situation. not only can't we stop the wind from blowing, but we can't stop the republicans from being heartless and cruel. we need to be taking certainly some special measurements to help people who have been unemployed for a long time. it's not just extending the benefits another 90 days. it's dealing with an economic problem in this country that is income inequality. where corporate profits are through the roof and the flat liners are where they are and they're being outsourced overseas and long-term unemployment is the problem. what are we going to do about it? do republicans care about the well being of any unemployed

american? text a for yes. b for no. we'll bring you the results later on in the show. for more, let me bring in a couple of senators tonight kind enough to join us. gentlemen, thanks for your time tonight. >> good to be with you. >> senator, what's the latest from the senate? will an unemployment extension pass? what's the pulse? >> we don't know yet what the votes are particularly on the republican side. hopefully they'll join us. in my home state of new jersey, we're looking at 1% of the entire population unemployed. 90,000 people who have lost their unemployment insurance. what we know is when you're standing on that unemployment line, you're not a republican or

a democrat. you're someone who is seeking work and still can't get it in this economy. that's why this is so critical. i hope every member will be able to get here because of weather conditions. i know every democrat stands ready to vote for the extension. >> the culture of what has taken place in the house, do you think that'll motivate them to pick it up? >> i hope so. the bottom line is i think they're going to have real challenges across the country in these districts are so many people are going to be unemployed. we have talked about a million that have lost their benefits. potentially another million if we don't act. when george bush passed this, unemployment was at 5.6%. that's very significantly lower than it is today. it is very compelling to be able to move forward. >> and the percentage of americans who are dealing with long-term unemployment today are doubled from what they were the last time that extension took

place. i think that really is a microcosm of what we're talking about when we say income inequality is an issue that needs to be addressed. do you buy the white house report that shows 4.9 million americans could lose unemployment by 2014? >> yes. you had said something a minute ago in speaker boehner's district says two-thirds of people need to extend unemployment benefits. people overwhelmingly saying we should extend the benefits. pope francis said, go out and smell like the flock. what he meant is get out among people and listen to what they have to say and try to live like they do as much as you can.

i think if some of my colleagues in the senate and the house began to go out and listen to people a little bit more, this would be an overwhelming positive vote because people -- it's $300 a week. it's not a lot of money. it's not a disincentive to go to work. it keeps you going so you don't have your house foreclosed on. you can feed your family. you can fix your car so you can go out and look for a job. everybody that gets these benefits must be looking for work to receive them. >> absolutely. that's the thing that never -- >> you pay in, you get the help. >> that's what gets lost in the conversation. >> exactly. >> there's this mind set by the republicans that you get this check in the mail. you don't have to worry about it. senator brown, i want to show the weather map again. this arctic blast, this might not be the first one we have this year. are we to assume, okay, people

might lose their homes if they get foreclosed on because of the economic situation and the lack of extension of long-term unemployment? are we to assume everybody is going to be able to heat their homes in this portion of the country? we're down to the basics here, aren't we? >> when you live in a place like cleveland you can't help but think in january when the temperature drops to 10 degrees or 5 degrees -- you can't help but thinking the hardship that people face that are behind in their mortgage payments because they got sick or because they lost their job. if they're not getting food stamps or heat or the help of the extension of unemployment, these are people's lives. these aren't just statistics. but most importantly, there are a whole lot of people in garfield heights and westlake and toledo this will really

matter to their families. >> senator, if there is no extension, what effect will this have on the economy, in your opinion? will this stagnate the 47 months of private sector job growth? >> if we don't extend unemployment insurance, we'll lose about 200,000 jobs. if we do extend unemployment insurance, we actually gain about 240,000 jobs. that's a compelling argument. it says gdp is assisted in growing in this regard. i think my colleagues both in the senate and the house who are nice at warm at the taxpayers expense here in the capitol should be thinking about the chill people are going to have in the country when they have to choose between the utility bill

and food. >> i notice rand paul doesn't mention anything about the cost of the government shutdown. what about that? >> close some of these loopholes that give incentives for companies to shut down in middletown, ohio and move to china and get a tax break doing it. henry ford announced he was going to pay all of his workers $5 a day not necessarily because he was a generous man, but he knew that would put money into the economy. money in their pockets so they can buy a ford. it generates activity and grows the economy. this will help grow the economy. not contradict it, which it would do if we don't extend these benefits. >> great to have you on the show tonight.

keep up the fight. this goes far beyond any kind of election vote. it is about people. it's about people's homes not being heated. it's about people not being given the opportunity to continue to look for a job. i had a caller on my radio show last week. a gentleman says, i was out of work for 14 months. i'm an electrical engineer. you have no idea what a lift it is to the family to help keep up your search. share your thoughts with us on twitter and on facebook. coming up, here we go. arizona under siege. steven seagal is considering a run for governor. plus, an arctic blast is dropping temperatures to lows we have not seen in years. it's a real threat.

we'll talk about it next. stay with us. ust pack them in our flat rate box ♪ ♪ we'll come to your door and return them ♪ ♪ gifts you bought but never gave away ♪ ♪ or said you liked but thought were cheesy ♪ ♪ you don't even need to leave your house ♪ ♪ we'll come and take them, easy-peasy ♪ [ female announcer ] no one returns the holidays like the u.s. postal service. with improved priority mail flat rate, just print a label, schedule a pickup, and return those gifts at a same low flat rate.

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time now for the trenders. social media very active out there in the ed nation. you can go to my website and find out all about the 2014 ed tour starting in ft. lauderdale, florida on february 8th. the social media has decided. >> i have one thing to say. you better work. >> the number three trender, work ethics. >> i'm going to need you to go ahead and come in tomorrow. >> the man who led the repeal of the equal pay act was a

wisconsin senator. >> i'm not even supposed to be here today. >> glen growthman wants to do with days off. >> i'm also going to need you to go ahead and come in on sunday too. okay? the number two trender, executive decision. >> he's known for his action movies and now steven seagal -- >> you expected somebody else? >> i would remotely consider it. >> steven seagal is considering running for governor in arizona. and today's top trender, minnesota ice. >> i'm mr. white christmas. i'm mr. snow.

i'm mr. icicle. i'm mr. ten below. >> temperatures feeling like they're in the 50s and 40s below zero. >> for the first time in 14 years, classes at minnesota public schools cancelled. >> a polar apocalypse has the midwest in a deep freeze. >> 27 states with wind chill warnings. >> lake michigan iced over surface, boats frozen on the lake. >> the arctic blast is now headed east. >> i guess you could say it is coming our way. joining us now is a meteorologist at weather nation. he joins us from minneapolis where it is very cold. we don't make our weather guys go outside. we bring you inside.

i appreciate you doing this tonight. holy smokes, it is cold. what does this harken back to, 20, 30 years ago? >> last check, it was 12 below in minneapolis. we fell to 23 below this morning. >> how long are we going to be doing this? >> to answer your question, last time i can think of this happening here in the twin cities where they closed school, you remember. you were up here back in the mid 90s. it's deeper and farther south though. folks in northern minnesota at 40 below, they're used to seeing that. but chicago and louisville, that's really cold for those folks. it is going to last a few more days. >> this is going to take about a third of the country, isn't it? >> even more than that.

you can head all the way to south florida or the southwestern u.s. those are the only areas where you're not seeing temperatures below 32. it is a huge chunk of the nation. >> how is this effecting travelers and is this going to last for days on end? >> the wind at least is brisk and brutal. always have the winter survival kit. it's layers. common sense like that. but the blowing snow problems and the heavy snow problems will continue to diminish. that's the improving side, but the cold we're still going to have it for a few more days. >> what's it done for travellers in the midwest? >> you know what it's like when traveling in this. you just cope and deal with it. it is slows people down a little bit. without school, traffic was lighter here in the twin cities.

>> youth hockey in fargo was still on schedule today. it is kind of the culture of that part of the country, but it's not the culture of all the way down to atlanta, georgia, where they'll see record temperatures tonight. >> it's going to be down in the 20s all the way down to the gulf coast. atlanta, not used to it at all. >> what's your analysis of this cold snap? is it climate change? the aftermath of what we've seen in our environment? how do you call it? >> it could be just one of those years. we're -- we have cycles sometimes. this one just is so much further to the south. so many folks not used to seeing

temperatures this low for so long. >> thanks for joining us tonight. a me good to have you on. coming up, we'll examine republican new year's r resolutio resolutions. scott walker drops a minimum wage whopper and lands in tonight's pretenders. next i'm taking your questions on ask ed. [ male announcer ] the new new york is open. open to innovation.

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temperatures like this. it is serious stuff. respect the weather. that's the best advice. throw another log on the fire. she wants to know, what do you see as the biggest and most important legislation to actually pass in 2014? well, not to be negative, but i don't hold my breath for anything passing in 2014 with any significance. i would think the republicans might be enticed to do a job's package with the president because it is about the economy and they don't want to go home saying they obstructed everything they tried to do. immigration reform, i don't believe that's going to happen. rapid response panel coming up next. i'm josh lipton with your cnbc market wrap. a down day for stocks.

the dow falls 45 and the nasdaq sheds 18. jet blue is suspending flights in new york and boston due to extremely cold weather. as for the economy, orders for manufactured goods rebounded in november jumping 1.8%. that's it for cnbc. y became big business overnight? ♪ like, really big... then expanded? ♪ or their new product tanked? ♪ or not? what if they embrace new technology instead? ♪ imagine a company's future with the future of trading. company profile. a research tool on thinkorswim. from td ameritrade.

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welcome back to the ed show. most americans back to work today, but not house republicans. the republican controlled house is still off. in fact, the 113th congress passed fewer laws in its first year than any other single session on record. don't expect much change in

2014. it's election year, folks. this means the calendar drawn up by house majority leader has fewer days scheduled in an effort to maximize campaign time ahead of the midterms. the house is scheduled to be in session for just 97 days before the election and just 112 days in all. the do-nothing congress is slated to do a whole lot of nothing in the new year and republicans have no plans to turn over a new leaf. the house majority leader sent a memo outlining the legislative agenda for january. it is a lot of the same stuff. obamacare, try to get rid of it. the gop will focus on the security of the healthcare.gov website. next up would be government funding in dealing with the debt ceiling. you know where that's going to

go. iran policy will be a hot topic for them and conference report o os on the farm bill. in the past, funding the government and passing a farm bill was pretty much standard stuff and something we expected out of our lawmakers. because we exist in a time of unprecedented republican obstruction, we can only hope they get the bare minimum done. republicans are putting their focus on obamacare and epa regulation reform. these are the republican priorities. nothing about minimum wage or long-term unemployment. nothing about job creation which only proves how out of touch republicans are with the american people. joining me now is our rapid response panel.

great to have both of you with us. >> thank you. >> the priority list is right there, nina. how does this play in the bread basket of ohio in the middle of the country? the priority list is very clear. are epa regulations that much more important than income inequality and minimum wage in ohio? >> it doesn't play well. ohio's unemployment rate is at 7.4%. they need a congress that gets to work. imagine going to work and telling your boss that you don't want to work, but you want to get paid when you have done absolutely nothing. we've been talking about the arctic blast that's hit this nation. there are officials on the republican side that don't care about the needs and issues of everyday people in this state.

it is moral lly bankrupt. >> how can they be so out of touch with their priority list? none of them poll very well. >> not at all. they wanted to pass legislation, a bill, that mandated all high school students read -- you're absolutely right. this is a travesty. we're not dealing with income inequality. rubio suggested he wanted to deal with income inequality in terms of poverty, but it is a war on poor. they don't have a sense of those issues that are serious for america, like extending benefits for the unemployed, 1.3 million people who don't have benefits, if we have spending cuts on one

side, we can restore some of those benefits. if you stimulate the economy by getting a higher minimum wage, that would help people. they want to keep on the negative ledger, so to speak. they want to sink the american economy and hurt the american people at the same time. >> what do you look to get anything done in this legislative session? >> not much. immigration is at a standstill there. they may do something on these 1.3 million people that are uninsured. they're trying to balance it out with the spending cuts. i don't have much faith in this

congress. they'll continue to do what they've already done, which is nothing. >> nina, who is leading the republican party in ohio? i keep focusing on ohio because you can't win the white house without it. it's had a radical governor in the way he has attacked workers and trying to soften his position in the obamacare position he's taken. where is ohio right now when they see an agenda like this that the republicans are putting out? >> not pleased. there's a connection between the ballot box and the bread box. and we have got to make sure -- in ohio, we are very much focused on that. to have elected officials that are heartless, it makes no sense not to do those things that would lift the people in this country and this state. we are suffering. our unemployment rate is at

7.4%. the jobs are just not there. we should be stimulating the economy on the state level. they need to stimulate the economy in congress. this congress is worst than do nothing. they are doing harm to everyday people in this country. people who need to eat. people who need to take care of their families. it is totally unacceptable. >> where should the democrats go in this year? what should the focus be? i mean, clearly the republicans aren't connecting with people when it comes to just what is polling as far as strong interests for the american people. doesn't this whole thing with unemployment extension and addressing the long-term unemployed in this country play right into the argument or solution on what we're going to do with income inequality in this country? >> absolutely. the democrats should go hard on

how we stand up. the president has talked about if we increase the minimum wage by $10.10, how that would lift countless numbers of family above the poverty line. these are the issues we need to talk about and debate and ask the american people do you want folks elected to office that care about your well being or do you want elected officials who only care about the next election and the next generation? that's going to be the message from democrats throughout this country. we have to elect people who care about the folks they were hired to serve. >> what are your presidential expectations? how much time does he spend to focus on the country? >> the president has to do this. i suggest that he's got three years left. don't be a lame duck. stand up and show the kind of

spine you display when you're sick and tired of being mistreated and the american people being mistreated. he has the will of the american people. i think he's got to trudge forward. it's true this do-nothing congress on the one hand can tie his hand, but there are enough executive orders he can achieve on one hand and getting out there to rally the troops, so to speak. it will enlighten americans to go to the polls because he's not on the ballot, but to make sure their local officials are doing the right thing. >> he couldn't be ciriticized fr it because congress doesn't have a heavy work schedule. they have the same schedule he has. >> exactly right. >> righteous indignation. >> great to have you with us.

appreciate you coming on the ed program tonight. coming up, the top democratic agenda as congress gets back to work and an unlikely advocate emerges. i'm looking forward to. and my parachute definitely isn't golden. [ male announcer ] for some, every dollar is earned with sweat, sacrifice, courage, which is why usaa is honored to help our members with everything from investing for retirement to saving for college. our commitment to current and former military members and their families is without equal. start investing with as little as $50. of the dusty basement at 1406 35th street the old dining table at 25th and hoffman. ...and the little room above the strip mall off roble avenue. ♪ this magic moment it is the story of where every great idea begins. and of those who believed they had the power to do more. dell is honored

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and in pretenders tonight, the wisconsin whopper is what we call it. scott walker, the governor. he created another tall tale. he has it all wrong on minimum wage ea wage. >> jobs involved with minimum wage is great for younger people. >> they aren't just scott walker and paul ryan's fuzzy high school memories.

they are a reality for over a million adults across this country. the median age for fast food workers in this country is 29 years old. not kids in high school. more than a quarter of these workers are the current federal minimum wage doesn't fit today's living standards, and it's hurting kids. judging from the governor's book, fiction is his specialty. but if scott walker thinks we'll believe this tired old line, he can keep on pretending. ♪ no nee, donate or burn them ♪ ♪ just pack them in our flat rate box ♪ ♪ we'll come to your door and return them ♪ ♪ gifts you bought but never gave away ♪ ♪ or said you liked but thought were cheesy ♪ ♪ you don't even need to leave your house ♪ ♪ we'll come and take them, easy-peasy ♪ [ female announcer ] no one returns the holidays like the u.s. postal service. with improved priority mail flat rate, just print a label, schedule a pickup, and return those gifts at a same low flat rate. did you run into traffic? no, just had to stop by the house to grab a few things.

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welcome back to "the ed show." this is the story for the folks who take a shower after work. of course, we on this program have been highlighting the need to address income inequality for a long time here on "the ed show." people today on my radio show say well, what is income inequality. great question. when we have the american people asking that question, now we can address the issue. new york democratic senator chuck schumer says that the republican position on unemployment is insulting to american workers, and they are dead wrong. senator schumer has been one of the biggest wall street friendly senators, but now he is on the side of 1.3 million americans who were knocked off of unemployment benefits last month. >> if on the first day of the new session the republican party says they won't even support unemployment benefit extension, the original round was started by george w. bush when unemployment was 5.6%, they're going to show themselves so far out of the mainstream, it's going to hurt them in the

election. >> bingo. will it have an effect in election? he thinks so. president obama and his allies in congress have signaled they're making income inequality a defining issue in 2014. they are not wasting any time in beginning to make their case. the president is planning to hold an event tuesday at the white house where he will be joined by people who have lost their unemployment benefits. this is an issue affecting thousands of families all over the country. just think of the people who are dependent on their unemployment benefits to heat their homes in these sub-zero temperatures which i talked about earlier this broadcast. leo gerard, united international steelworkers president joins us tonight. a statement was released by tennessee senator john corker. he says he is going to vote no against the unemployment extension, saying that it's irresponsible, it takes us in the wrong direction, and his concern is how we're going to pay for it. if this is the prevailing thought, what hope do we have of them doing anything on the

economy? >> look, i think john cornyn is completely off base. and in fact, by not supporting unemployment insurance or unemployment compensation, it's not just a 1.3 million recipients, it's their families. it's their kids. you put that beside the fact that they have cut food stamps to people who need it. you put all of those things together, and what you see is that we're heading down an economic abyss that is being created, again, by the republicans. and the reality is, ed, we need to have an unemployment extension, but we need to raise the minimum wage. if you raise the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, that would take $7 billion out of the food stamp program rather than cutting $4 billion to people that need it there is a lot of reasons why we got income inequality. we've got the destruction of the industrial base of the country. we've got the weakening of collective bargaining. we've got an unemployment rate that is unsustainable. you've got people with minimum wage.

i mean, you're talking about a minimum wage of even $10 an hour. that's only $400 a week before deductions. if they want to know how to pay for it, take away the tax grab that goes to the oil companies. take away the $4 billion tax rebate we gave ge. >> well, let's talk about the prevailing thought of where they're going. they say it takes them in the wrong direction. governor walker says that no, he is not in favor of it, because when he was in high school, he was working at mcdonald's. there are a bunch of teenagers there. the fact is most of the workers now are 29 years old. more than a quarter of them are raising families. what is it going to take for wage earners in america to reach a congress that number one, doesn't want to work in the house very much in 2014, and certainly is against everything this president wants to do? >> ed, i think we need to use all the tools at our disposal. we need to use social media. we can't expect to have big marches in washington where the unemployed are coming to washington when they can barely afford to take care of their

family. but we need to be in front of the senators' offices. we need to be in front of where they are. we need to be able to tell the truth about the domestic direction that this country is going in. we can't have an economy where the people at the top get all of the benefits and the rest of us get the crumbs that are left behind and have the economic stability we expect in this country. >> i'd like you to take a minute to define income inequality. that question is popping up. those who are paying attention say what do you mean? what do you mean by income inequality? what is it? >> let's start off for the fact that for the average worker in this country in real terms, their real income now is about the same as it was in 1971. for the unemployed, who are collecting unemployment compensation, if we had just let that follow the for the last 15 or 20 years, just let that follow the rate of inflation, the unemployment -- excuse me, the minimum wage would be $10.75 roughly. >> yeah. >> so what we've got is a depressing of the wage

structure, a depressing of social benefits. and the wealth that is being created in the economy, the majority of that is floating to the top 10% in the economy. and ed, i can tell you this. collective bargaining is one of the best tools where workers can sit down and negotiate with their employer how they divide up the wealth that they've collectively created. and i want to make another point, if we have time. we're now watching on television the shutting down of our cities because of the cold and the snow. the people that would be out there in those cities running the snowplows and making sure people got the care they needed, making sure that if there were people that needed to be taken and given shelter, those were the public sector workers that all the republican governors trashed and unfairly laid off and cut their wages and cut their benefits. these are the people that are now stepping up to help those of us that need help. >> mr. gerard, good to have you with us tonight on the "ed show." we'll talk a lot about income

inequality, give it definition coming up here in 2014. that's "the ed show." i'm ed schultz. "politicsnation" with reverend al sharpton starts right now. good evening, rev. >> good evening, ed. and thanks to you for tuning. in breaking news. we are expecting in this hour a key vote in the senate. it's the senate's first major test of 2014. a key vote to extend unemployment benefits for over a million people. families have been cut off for more than a week after republicans left for the holidays instead of fixing this. tonight the senate is back, and democrats aren't wasting time. this bill restores benefits to 1.3 million long-term unemployed americans. it includes retroactive benefits dating to december 28th when they were first cut off. it provides benefits